Magnetic typewriting machine



,,ducting wires from contact points of key Patented Jan. 1, 1924.

UNITED STATES WASHINGTON FLETCHER NICHOLS, OF MUNFORDVILLE, KENTUCKY.

MAGNETIC TYPEWRI'I'ING TEACHINE.

I Application filed September 5, 1922. Serial No. 586,148.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \Vasrnncroiv FLETCH- ER NICHOLS, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Munfordville, in the county of Hart, State ofKentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in MagneticTypewriting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in typewriting machines and moreparticularly to key bars, type bars and intermediate or magnet bars,together with electrical connections associated with said key, type andmagnet bars, in which an electric current from a battery or otherelectrogenerating device is so conducted that when a key bar of saidmachine is depressed a closed circuit is formed resulting in themagnetizing of an electromagnet mounted on the end of an intermediate ormagnet bar which in turn is attracted to an adjacent soft iron, orcontrol bar and by means of a connecting pitman attached to the distalend of a type bar actuates said type bar causing the proximal end ortype end to ascend thru an arc to a platen above in the ordinary mannerof type bars when actuated by finger pressure.

The objects of the improvement are, first,

to provide a typewriting machine in which the type bars are actuated byelectro-magnetic force, thus relieving much of the stress of long hoursof typing by finger vforce; second, to provide a typewriting machine inwhich intermediate or magnet bars are actuated by electromagnets mountedon the ends of said magnet bars, and which are connected by pitmen tothe distal end of the type bars causing them to ascend to the platen asthe magnet bar descends; third, to provide an open electric circuitwhich becomes a closed circuit as each successive key bar is pressedtocontact point provided below causing current from the battery or otherelectric generating device to pass thru said hey bar, thence fromcontact point thru insulated wires to an electromagnet mounted on theend of the magnet bar; fourth, to provide means by which said insulatedcon bars may be readily connected to any of the wires leading to themagnet coils on the ends of the magnet bars; as, for example, conctingthe wire from the A key bar to ma et on the end of the N magnet bar anvice versa. By this means illegible articles or cryptic messages ma; bewritten at the ordinary speed of the typist and after delivery may be asreadily transposed or translated by means of another similar ma chine inwhich the same changes of electrical connections have been made as inthe original machine: fifth, to provide an electromagnetic complextogether with toy bars, magnet bars and type bars and such othermodifications as are necessary to carry out the spirit of thisinvention, which may be adopted or applied to existing typewritingmachines or embodied in an entirely new machine.

llhile the principles of this invention may assume a number ofmechanical variations, one form o1 the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing.

The figure of the drawing represents a cross section of a typewritingmachine looking from the right side of the machine toward the left. Theimprovements proposed for the machine and for which. Letters Patent areprayed in my petition are represented by the heavier unbroken lines andshading's of said drawings and shadings, the lighter dotted linesrepresenting such outlines of-the machine as are necessary to show therelations of said improvements to the. whole machine.

A represents a full side view of a key bar; ll represents a crosssection of a soft. iron control bar: C represents a full side view of amagnet bar; D represents a side view of a pitman between magnet bars andtype bars; E represent a side view of a type bar; F represents an endview of the platen but for which no-claim for improvcn'ient is made; Grepresents a longitudinal section thru an L-shaped wire terminal andcontact pointfor key bar; H represents a spiral spring by which key barsare returned to place; and J represents the spring to a magnet bar, allparts of which are described in detail and function of each part and ofthe whole set forth as follows:

A represents a key bar composed of a good conductor of electricity inwhich 1 is an ordinary typewriter key, bearing on its upper visible faceits respective letter or other character and mounted on the key bar byhard rubber or some other insulating ma terial; 2 is a contact point onsaid key bar by which electrical contact is made with 5 by pressing downthe key bar; 4 represents a cross section or end view of a small,cylindrical steel shaft upon which all the key bars are mounted so as tofreely rotate thereon end make good electrical contact, but, which shaftis insulated from the rest oi the machine by hard rubber or other goodinsulating materiel; l3 represents a, cross sectional end vie-v1.01? 2soft iron bar or control bar extending across the machine from the rightto the left and curved in such'a manner as to form an are parallel tothe type bar rest above and serving as an att-raction to magnets onmagnet bars above; (7 represents a smell, strong'bar of aluminum orother non-magnetic substance known as the magnet oar mounted similarlyto the key bars except that the magnet burs need not be insulnteci uponthe end of each nnlgnct bar is mounted on electromagnet lel, whichconsists of soft iron core wound by e suffiicient amount of small copperto produce the necessary magnetic force for its purpose; the magneticfield of these electromognets must be well within the magnetic fie d ofthe soft iron bar, B; D represents at pitmun or small steel co nmectingbur connecting msmet bar to corresponding type bar in suci a way as toproduce a constantly accelerating motion of the type bar as ii; ascends;15 and 16 representthe smell pins by which the pitman is connected tothe magnet bar and the type bar; E represents as type her not verydifferent from the ordinary type bars, but made of some non-nmgneticmateriel and provided with above described connections thru pitrnen "l,with the magnet bar adjacent and pivoted at 17, so as to be freelymovable by said pitman D, above described, and having on its proxi inclend the ordinary type found on type bars, 18; those type bars when atrest return to their common type bar rest, 19, which consists 01 acurved, plush covered rest made of non-magnetic material; F representsanordinnrytypewriter platen; G represents a longitudmel sections thruthe hsheped, insulating nncl with which the contact point oi hey bar Ais brought in contact by depressing the key 1. This connection 1s modeof good conducting," material and has a siip-in mortise for theconnecting plug or lemon on the proximal end of wire 8, and is embeddedin insulating materiel separating the several connections from eachother and from the rest of "the machine; H. represents a small" coiledspring by which the key her is returned after each prcssion; thisspring; *noust be insulated from the resents u similar spring to magnether to re turn end with it the type bar after the rain cuit broken; 8represents an insulnled copper wire or connecting cord from the terminalin the terminal 10 where it connected hy a small slip-in tench or otherccnvcnienlt!n ecesto ms double contact terminal from. which the wire El-12 do I rest 01 the machine; reprerncei before described,v must befully insulated from each other and from the rest of the machine.

12 represents the insulated wire from con nection 11 to the magnet coil,1 21 represents the return wire from the coil 14 to the common groundconnection at 23; ground connection 23 is insulated from the rest of themachine but not from each other. 24 represents a common return wire fromthe common ground 23 to the battery; 20 represents the direct wire fromthe battery or other generating device to the key bar shaft l. 7

All parts of the typewriting machine not herein described remainessentially as they are now found in existing machines, except suchmodifications as are necessary to carry out the principles of thisinvention.

The operation of a typewriter in which these improvements are embodiedmay be described as follows:

Current from the battery or other generating device passes up thru wire20 to shaft 4.

thence from shaft 4: thru each individual lrey bar Aand when said keybar is depressed to contact at 2-5, thence thru terminal G, thence thruwire 8 to connection 10, thence thru connection 11 endwire 12 to magnetcoil 14, thence thru the w'indin s'of coil 14, forming an electromegneto the core of said coil 14, thence by return by wire 21, to commonground connection 23 and finally returned by Wire 24. i

When coil 14: is charged and an electromagnct is formed of its core, itis attracted to fixed soft iron bar B, which is well within magneticrange of said magnets, thus actusting type bar E thru pitman D beforedescribed.

In this invention I claim:

1. In a typewriting machine, in combination "type bars, a movable magnetbar for each type bar and operatively connected to a" type bar tooctuatesame, a magnet carried by each magnet bar, a control bar spacedfrom and located within the field of said magnet to cause attractionthereof when a, nmgnet is energized, means to energize any desiredmagnet,

2. .ln s typewriting machine, in combine tion type bars, a movablemagnet bar for each type bar, s pitman operatively connecting a type barwith u magnet bar, a magnet carried by each magnet bar, a control barspaced from and located within the hold of said magnet to causeattraction thereof when a magnet is energized, means to energize anydesired ma at In a typewritilfg mac iiie, in combination type bars,amovable magnet bar for each type bar, a pitman operatively connectingeach type bar with a magnet bar, a

magnet carried by each magnet bar, a control bar spaced ircm and withinthe field of said magnet to cause attraction thereof when a .magnet isenergized, a key lever for each typeb'ar and magnet bar provided with acontact pointb means of which a closed circuit may be .ormed to energizea magnet ,on any desired ma et bar.

4. In a typewritmgmachine, incombination type bars arranged laterally inan are, a

movable magnet bar for each type'bar arran ed in a similar are, a pitmanoperative y connecting each type bar wltn a magneu our, amagnet carriedby each ma net her arranged also in an arc correspon ing to the ma netbars a soft iron control bar a a b 7 I iornnng an, arc laterallycorresponding to the are formed by. the magnet bars and magnets andspaced from and within the field cf said magnets to cause attractioneach type bar and operatively connected to' a bar by a pitman to actuatesame, a magnet carried by each bar, a conspaced from and located causeattraction energized, key on their v 4- v *s c. K t points ei- -owerrcrm; close ii; any desired magnet, insulated e from contact point of al y lever a connecting point of similar wire to 2! within the v magnetand so constructed as to be readily connected to any desired magnet, aninsulated wire to the winding of each magnet, a similar return wire fromeach magnet to a common return wire connection, an insulated metallicreturn wire connection which is provided with ready means of attachingthe return wires from the magnets and the common return or ground wire,a key lever shaft which, is insulated from the body of the machine butmakescontact with the key levers which are mounted on it and which isprovided with ready attachment of the wire from the battery or such E.M. F. as may be used. v

6. A device in typewriting machines consisting of key bars, magnet bars,magnets, pitmen, soft iron control bar, type bars and type bar rest asdescribed, also an electro:

magnetic complex by which said device is to be operated and consistingof .(1) an insulated wire or cord from the battery or other'electrogenerating device to the key bar shaft to whichit is connectedby 'a slip-in plug or some other convenient method, (2):the key barshaft and key bars as before described (3') the wire from the key barcontact point to the magnet bar wire terminal to which it is-connectedby a slip-in plug or such convenient means (4) the magnet bar wire tothe coil on the end of the magnet bar (5) the electromagnet above named(6) a return wire from coils to common ground connection, and (7) a wirefrom common ground connection back to battery or other generatingdevice, all wires should be fieXi-' hie, insulated and have an easy andeflicient method of connection, as a slip-in plug or tencn, at each endso as to be readily rcnewed or changed. WASHINGTON FLETCHER NICHOLS.Witnesses:

S'ramr Hour, H. F. MANSFIELD.

